Keep On The Shadowfell

Commission? Ambush!

Inside the pub, our heroes watched as Elian lay, barely conscious, at the table. His son tried to rouse him, to no avail – fortunately, the party thought it wise to aid the old man up to their room, where he could sleep it off. The son thanked them for their help, and provided them with valuable information – in order to learn more about the kobold attacks (and the whereabouts of their master), they would have to look for Lord Padraig, the town’s mayor.

The duo (the deva still in a meditative trance outside of the pub) then set out to find their lost companion, and tell him the news – that they’d found someone who might be able to help them. The wizard they were looking for had been found, drunk, stumbling into a pair of travelers – Rom, an animated stone figure, and Vox, a mute dragonborn. After some slightly uncomfortable introductions, the four (plus drunken wizard) headed back to the inn, where they unceremoniously dumped him onto the bed with the old man.

Back in the bar, things were beginning to pick up – townspeople were coming in after having finished a hard day’s work, and the atmosphere was getting noisier and noisier. Niku began to play a song on his lute, telling of the adventures of a lost Nerathian hero. As the crowd grew, the party thought of leaving to avoid being caught in the throng of people – but as they headed for the door, a figure stepped in accompanied by two of the town’s guards. All of the people in the tavern saluted, then cheered, as Lord Padraig himself stepped forward and ordered a drink.

After hearing Niku’s song for himself, Padraig asked of the party’s intentions – upon hearing of their dilemma, he informed them that Valthrun, the sage, would have been the most likely person to have last contacted their master. He then offered them a reward for dealing with the kobold problem their town had been facing. Business was suffering because of it, and the townspeople were becoming irritated with the constant threat of having their wares stolen. The party accepted the commission (and a map to the kobold lair) and set off to gear up and talk to Valthrun.

Now late in the afternoon, the four adventurers approached Valthrun’s tower. A tall stone building (resembling a keep) stood imposingly in front of them – they knocked on its door, but to no response. Niku attempted to pick the door’s lock, and succeeded – in being knocked back 30 feet into the road by a Force Orb set into the door. It was only when Rom attempted to scan the door for any magical energy that the message “Not home. Come back later.” was revealed, set into the door by arcane means. Undaunted, the party set back to the Wrafton to rest up for the next day.

They broke their fast early, enjoying pies crafted by Sylvana before
beginning their quest. Upon leaving the town, the party was immediately set upon by another group of kobolds – these, however, were stronger than the other group they had faced before. This was no random group – these kobolds were stronger, more prepared, and determined to accomplish their mission of eliminating the heroes. Focusing all of their efforts on Niku at first, the kobolds left him ragged on the ground – Geílor’s healing power soon bringing him back from the edge. Fighting through, the party eliminated all of them.

When they went to search the kobolds’ corpses for items, they came across a strange necklace that none of them could immediately identify. Shaped of white stone, the necklace resembled a dragon’s head with ram’s horns on either side – there was a vague evil aura around it, and whoever held it soon felt uneasy. Rom, after some thought, recognized it as a symbol of the lord of the dead, Orcus.

The party continued on their way, more wary than ever of their enemies…

Missing Mentor, No Clues To Be Found

Presented with three alternatives for their quest, our heroes chose to seek the whereabouts of their missing mentor, Douven Stall. The adventurous soul had left months earlier in search of a ruined Dragonborn tomb, not to be heard from again. He was last seen heading to a small village called Winterhaven, and the adventurers knew that the only hope of seeing their teacher again lay there.

A simple down King’s Road on a cool, clear day soon turned into trouble as the party was ambushed by a group of kobolds. Hidden behind the boulders alongside of the road, they attacked without warning or provocation-fortunately, our heroes were able to fight them off (though not without some wounds of their own). The real mystery lay in the meaning behind the attack-were they simply bandits, looking to steal whatever they could from passerby? Or was there another reason behind the attack?

Upon entering the town, they were greeted by a lone elven girl, selling flowers out of a cart. She introduced herself to one of the party as Delphina Moongem, and explained that she’d been paid by the local tavern owner to welcome newcomers to the town. Upon being directed to the tavern, our heroes met Sylvana Wrafton, longtime owner and barkeep of the Wrafton Inn. They accepted her offer of a place to stay for the night while they got their bearings and began to search for clues.

Interrogating the locals was proving to be more difficult than expected-while Delphina was helpful (and Sylvana more than hospitable), the only other locals to be found were a quiet elven woman drinking liquor in the corner of a bar, and a drunk old farmer named Elian. The party awaited the night, and with it, the promise of more information on their missing master. Two members spent their time wandering around the town, becoming acquainted with their surroundings-one stayed and drank himself into a state, while one waited outside of the tavern in a meditative trance.

The night came, and as the pair reentered the main square of the town, their friend stumbled out into the street, clearly drunk. Not escaping their notice, however, a young farmer walked into the pub in front of them—and as their drunken friend wandered into a nearby shop, the pair followed the man back into the bar…